2018 Awards

COLLEGE SCHOLARSHIPS

Seven students were selected to receive roughly $120,000 in renewable scholarships, that will total nearly $570,000 over four years. The Advisory Board evaluated 42 applications using an evaluation tool to assess academics, character and service. An Interview Committee comprised of Trustees and Advisory Board members interviewed twelve semifinalists. The semifinalists then reported their admission and financial aid information to MVYouth. From the cost of attendance at their chosen schools, MVYouth subtracted the estimated family contribution (EFC) and any institutional grants or scholarships the students were offered. Each of the semifinalists' funding gaps were calculated and our award recipients selected.

*Click on each student’s photo or name to read annual updates about their experiences at school and abroad.

WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT SCHOLARSHIPS

Two students were selected to receive roughly $26,500 in renewable scholarships, that will total nearly $93,500 over four years. With the Workforce Development Scholarships, MVYouth is focused on supporting career bound students seeking professional and technical training by providing needed funds for post secondary educational opportunities, both on and off the Island.

*Click on each student’s photo or name to read annual updates about their experiences at school and abroad.

EXPANSION GRANT RECIPIENTS

After careful evaluation and recommendation from the Advisory Board, the Board of Trustees unanimously voted to award the Martha's Vineyard Museum with a grant for $219,138 and Martha's Vineyard Community Services with a Provisional Grant for $1,000,000 to support their excellent work for Island children, teens and young adults. Synopses and images below outline their award-winning proposals.

*Click on each organization’s name to read annual updates about their programs and growth.

Educational InfrastructureAward: $219,138

Mission: To inspire all people to discover, explore, and strengthen their connections to this Island and its diverse heritage.

The MV Museum was awarded $219,138 to equip a classroom dedicated to youth education in the Museum’s new location at the Marine Hospital campus in Vineyard Haven. The Classroom will host visiting groups from Island schools and preschools, as well as the Museum’s summer programs for children, serving as a nucleus for the study of Island history. MVYouth funds will purchase furniture and shelving, IT, audio and visual equipment and other materials necessary to transform the Classroom into a teaching and learning space.

MVYouth Advisory Board members and Trustees praised the Museum’s education programs, which currently engages children through classroom visits to the elementary, middle and high schools and on field trips to their Edgartown campus. The Museum’s education programs have built effective collaborations with Island schools, preschools and other non-profits to deliver state-mandated curriculum to children PK-12. The Museum’s education staff work closely with classroom teachers to support grade level requirements while teaching Island history.

Museum educators teach over 200 classes per year to Island school children, reaching 1,150 students annually, free of charge. Additionally, through summer programming and community partnerships, the education programs reach another 175 seasonal children. The Museum projects expansion of their education programs in the new space, with expanded numbers of school field trips and collaborations with other Island non-profits. Their goal is to reach each of the 1,800 students

Early Childhood Programs CenterProvisional Award: $1,000,000

Mission: To enhance the lives of those it serves by meeting the comprehensive needs of individuals, families, and the community through a partnership of programs that provide accessible education and health and human services of the highest quality.

The provisional grant for Martha’s Vineyard Community Services reserves $1,000,000 to build a new Early Childhood Programs Center, addressing a critical Island need – quality, affordable child care. Pursuant to the terms of a provisional grant, the Trustees agreed to assess the proposal again in six months to review updated estimated costs of construction, gauge the agency’s progress in gaining necessary permits and other government approvals and achieving fundraising goals.

Martha’s Vineyard Community Services estimates the new ECP Center will cost $4.28 million to complete. The organization has $1 million committed from private donors in addition to the $1 million now reserved from MVYouth. They are actively seeking the final $2.28 million needed for the project.

South Mountain Company has been retained to create a master plan for the entire MVCS campus, with the Early Childhood Programs Center constituting phase 1. The aging campus is 40 years old and overdue for renovations. The proposed ECP facility will house four classrooms: infant, younger toddler, older toddler and preschool/pre-kindergarten, adding 17 new full-time spots, allowing for a maximum of 65 children to be served daily, a 26% increase from their current capacity.

The Early Childhood Programs currently serve 48 children daily (3 months to 5 years old) in their childcare program; and administer the Head Start program, which provides home-based early intervention services; and the Family Center, a resource center for children and families housed off-campus in the Nathan Mayhew Center, in Vineyard Haven.

The Early Childhood Programs is the only NAEYC (National Association for the Education of Young Children) accredited program on MV; the only center-based program offering infant care; the only program with state contracts to provide free & reduced breakfast, snack and lunch programs; the only center-based program open year-round - 52 weeks/year; the only program with income eligible spots; the only program that accepts State funded vouchers; the only program with spots for children with open cases with Department of Children & Families (DCF), state funded childcare to support children in foster care and families in need.